His Happy Daughter

Day Two

Hale held his pill bottles as he sat down in his bed. He sighed and threw them into the drawer by his bed, lying down. ' I'll take them in the morning. I don't need them every single night, my dreams mean nothing, they're my own thoughts, unshared.' He thought to himself, as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

  "Rosemary." His voice was clear the next morning, a deeper voice than normal rested in his vocal cords. Rose grumbled as she turned over in her sheets, cuddling them closer to herself. "Come on, darling, you've got to wake up." He calmed his voice down, just to soothe her morning attitude. "Why?" She moaned, sitting up straight and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Because I can't let you sleep in all day, what kind of father would I be?" He joked. "I've been in this house for 13 years, what difference does it make?" She was snarky in her reply. Constable Hale's soft smile turned to an annoyed frown as he turned on his heels to go to his own room and ready himself for the day. "Just get up and get dressed." He scolded and left the room, going to his own.

  He was ready for the day, he had his mask, hat, and button-up on, looking at himself in the mirror, he felt happy with his look. Happy. Oh yeah, the bottle of Joy. He dug through the drawer, and grabbed the bottle of black/navy blue pills. He put one into his hand, and just stared at it. His own hesitation pissed him off, he's supposed to fight others that hesitate, and not hesitate himself. "Dad?" Rose's voice piped up from behind him. Constable Hale glanced behind him, looking at the little girl that he's been taking care of, somehow managing to hide for the past 13 years, the girl without a mother to love, the girl without a life to own. "Yes, darling?" His voice seemed a little pained. "You've gotta go soon." She spoke. He scoffed softly, rolling his eyes with a caring smile, knowing full well that she didn't care about his job, she just wanted to sit outside for the whole day. He had a way to deter her from that, so he wasn't worried. "I know, darling. I'll be out in a minute, okay?" He asked. She nodded, leaving the bedroom.

  Hale looked back at the blackberry pill in his hand. This pill keeps him happy, without any of the negative side effects that normal Joy has. Thank you, Sally Boyle. Hale popped the pill, and felt his mood brighten, and himself become more excited for the day. He can't be a constable if he doesn't have his joy, there are Doctors and Downer Detectors all over town, if there's even a sniff of a thought that he's a downer, he'll be arrested, maybe even killed. Rosemary would be taken and killed, as well. Why was he even thinking such negative thoughts? No, no, no, Joy is such a great thing to have. It makes him feel better! He cleared his throat, and left the bedroom, going down the stairs to his daughter waiting by the door

  Constable Hale held Rose close for a tight hug, and kissed her temple before leaving the house for a new day of watching out for downers. Rose locked the door behind him before she quickly made her way up the stairs and to her window. She was sorely disappointed when she found it boarded up with a note in her father's handwriting. "Rosy, I'm sorry. But with the recent sightings, I've got to keep you inside. If one more person sees you, it's over. I'm doing this for your own good. Love, dad. P.S, Don't forget to take your joy." She crumpled up the paper and threw it to the floor in annoyance for her father. "Really?" She pursed her lips and turned on her heels, digging through her drawer, grabbing the pink pill bottle and trying one of the pills. "Oo! Strawberry." She smiled to herself once it was finally in her stomach, and taking effect in her brain.

  She examined the bottle a little longer before looking at her bright room. She noticed a huge difference compared to being off her pills; it was brighter. The walls were a more vibrant color, the sky just outside her boarded up window was such a beautiful blue. The bedding was so pretty, her blanket coated with a bunch of colourful flowers drawn onto it. She felt herself melt into a state of bliss and happiness as she lies down on her bedroom floor, and stares at the ceiling. She turned from her back to her stomach and grabbed some paper and crayons she had lying around. She scribbled on the pages, a rainbow on one, her father on another, and anything she could see, she would draw and color it.